


Ladybug: Into the Miracuverse

by adifferentshadeofgrey



Series: Miracuverse [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Inspired, Lots of Angst, Scarlet Lady AU, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) Spoilers, and danger, and sad, call it the miracuverse, if you will, lots of AUs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-24 01:51:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19163383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adifferentshadeofgrey/pseuds/adifferentshadeofgrey
Summary: After a powerful akuma helps to rip a hole in the space time continuum, Marinette and her pals have a ticking time bomb to figure out where Hawkmoth's successor Greyling is and how to stop her in time before her big plan unravels.





	Ladybug: Into the Miracuverse

**Author's Note:**

> This has been an ambitious goal of mine for awhile. Pray for me sisters as you would not believe how hard it is to keep track of all the Ladybug's i'm about to employ. This first chapter is going to be a little heavy, but hey it wouldn't be a spiderman crossover without some tears first, right? 
> 
> Enjoy!

__

_Alright. Let's do this one last time._

_My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng._

_I found a miraculous pair of earrings and for about ten years I've been the one and only Ladybug. I'm sure you know the rest._

"Fly away my little akuma and evilize them!" Greyling cackled as she unleashed a newly festered black butterfly. Her eyes glinted in the darkness as the creature flew through the sewer gate, making its way to its next victim in the city above. 

_Yeah. She took over after I stopped the first Hawkmoth. He was my best friend and lover's dad. Go figure. Now this psychopath found a new hobby and newly opened job position to fill. Believe it or not, she makes you miss the old days._

"Look it's Ladybug!" The crowds cheered as the superheroine dropped down to begin battling the newest akuma whom had set half the city on fire. 

_I saved a bunch of people, fell in love, saved the city, and then I saved the city again, and again, and again..._

"Three cheers for Ladybug! Hip-hip—"

"Hooray!"

"Hip-hip—"

"Hooray!"

 _Look. I'm a comic book, I'm a cereal, did a Christmas album, I have an_ excellent _theme song. Oh! And I almost forgot. I have a popsicle. It could look better, but hey, I'm not complaining._

 _But after everything, I still love being Ladybug. I mean, who wouldn't? So no matter how many times I take a hit, I_ always  _find a way to come back. Because the only thing standing in the way between this city and oblivion is me. There's only one Ladybug, and you're looking at her._

* * *

Nino was sat in his room listening to the latest music blasting from his oversized headphones. His homework laid sprawled all over his desk, untouched and forgotten. While he'd originally tried scratching down answers here or there, he'd given up in exchange for scribbling doodles and artful masterpieces on the page instead. 

" _Ooh, ooh, some things you can't refuse—"_

"Nino," Mrs. Lahiffe called from downstairs.

" _She want to ride me like—_ "

"Nino!"

" _She'll be left in the dust, unless I_ —"

"N _INO_!" This time, Sgt. Lahiffe weighed in on the yelling.

Nino jumped from his chair, throwing his head phones off. "Yeah?"

"Are you finished packing for school?" His father's voice all but turned him around to glance at the empty suitcase adorning the kid's bed. With his father's position, Nino had landed a really prestigious scholarship to one of Paris' finest schools. Not that Nino had really cared, but his parents were always making a big deal about what a great opportunity the boarding prep would be for him. 

"Yeah..." Nino called down nervously hoping his father didn't barrel through the door in that instant to find his lie sprawled across his bedroom floor in discarded uniforms and boxers. "Just ironing my last shirt!"

Jumping into action, Nino began shoveling his sketchpads and summer homework into the suitcase while slipping into one of the mandatory blazers himself. 

"Let's get moving, Nino," His mother called.

"Come on man, you're grown now. Let's show your teachers that too." His father's voice nagged from a story below. 

Rushing out his bedroom door, backpack in tow, Nino called out, "Where's my laptop? I can't find it anywhere."

Marcie Lahiffe was pouring cereal for his little brother Chris while also fixing one of her earrings in the kitchen while Jensen was in the bathroom, making sure he was presentable. 

"Where did you last leave it?" Marcie called over her shoulder. 

Nino raised his hands in confusion, "I don't remember, that's why I'm asking—"

"If you want me to drive you, we gotta go now, Nino," Jensen was tying his shoes by the door. 

"No! Dad I'll walk—"

"Personal chauffeur going once—"

"It's okay," Nino accidentally backed up into his mom causing her to spill Chris' cereal down her scrubs. 

With a heavy sigh she turned to him. "Nino, you've got to go."

Within five minutes, the boy had managed to get all his bags together and was standing on the front stoop, fighting his mom off from suffocating him with too many kisses. "Ma, I'm gonna be late."

Jumping the five steps down, Nino started walking towards the district his school was situated in. 

"Don't forget to call me, Nino! I love you!" Marcie was waving as the teen ducked his head. He loved his mother, but boy did she know how to embarrass him sometimes. 

"See you later, Ma," Slipping his oversized headphones back on, he focused on finding his way to Dupont Conservatory. 

Passing by the fences of his old school, he waved to his friends in the courtyard beyond the fence, chatting as he went.

"Dope sweater, Nino!"

"Hey! How's the new school?"

"Nino, come play a quick game of hoops—"

With a wave, he passed by before turning the corner where he made to pull out premade stickers with designs of his graffiti art, slapping them on street signs, news paper vendors, and doors as he pleased. Nino was so caught up in the process that he didn't even notice the curb ending until he was barrel rolling onto the cross walk.

 _Could this day get any worse_?

The sound of a cop car siren signaled to the boy that in fact it could. Sitting up, Nino was met with the grill of his father's car and the infamous disapproving stare of Sgt. Lahiffe from behind two inches of glass. Nino was soon sat in the back of the squad car listening to his father rant about anything and everything.

"Seriously? Dad. Walking would have been fine."

"You can walk plenty on Saturday when you peel those stickers off—"

"You  _saw that_?" Nino growled before switching his demeanor to play innocent. "I don't know if that was me dad."

"And the two from yesterday on Rue de Rivoli." Sgt. Lahiffe looked up into his rearview mirror to give Nino a stern glare.

The boy sighed, breaking. "Yeah, those were me."

Jensen watched as Nino's face dropped. "So... Look at that, the new bakery. You see that Nino?"

"Oh, yeah," Nino began to engage autopilot mode.

"What's that one called?"

"Puffed."

" _Puffed_?" The sergeant laughed. "Aw,  _come on_ , and everyone is just lining up! Do you see that?"

He rolled his eyes. "I see it."

The line outside the bakery was never ending. A common theme for most of Paris' bakeries which were becoming hot gimmicks at best for visiting tourists. 

"Is that a bakery or a disco."

" _Dad_ ," Nino couldn't help but contain his enthusiasm. "You're old."

"Old? Old—"

Nino's attention drifted as they pulled up to a red light where they watched a nearby screen of Nadja Chamack with a report on Ladybug through a storefront window. 

Jensen followed his son's attention and huffed. " _Ladybug_. I mean, this gal swings in  _once_ a day and zip zap zop in her little mask and answers to no one."

"Yeah dad, yup—"

"And meanwhile,  _my_ guys are out there lives on the line, no mask! We show up—" Nino would but in with 'yeahs' or 'sure dads' whenever the conversation seemed to crave it. Jensen continued his tirade unaware that Nino had lost his attention and was now intently watching a group of skaters rapidly approaching the car outside. 

Bolting up, Nino began to hit the grate in the back. "No, no, no, hey dad, speed up!"

"—With great accountability comes great accountability—"

Nino groaned, "That's not even how the saying  _goes_ dad."

Ducking down, Nino tried to hide as the car came to a stop thanks to the devious red light ahead. The skaters outside looked over just in time to recognize him and begin snapping pictures. They were old classmates of his and he was sure his picture was about to go viral with his former friends. 

"Don't some cops  _run_ red lights?"

Jensen quirked his lip. "Some cops do. But not your dad."

Nino couldn't help but notice the smug tone in his voice. 

Pulling up to the steps of Dupont Prep, Nino leaned forward, desperation leaking from his voice, "Why can't I go back Champ Elysèe High?"

"Nino, you haven't even given it  _two_ weeks. We're not having this conversation."

"But, I just think that this new school is  _elitist—"_

"Elitist—"

"And I would just prefer to be at a normal school among the people."

"The people? These  _are_ your people." The sarge motioned towards the students in the crosswalk donning matching variations of Nino's uniform. 

"I'm only here because I won that stupid scholarship—"

"No way— You passed the entry exam test just like everybody else. Okay? Listen. You have an opportunity here. You want to blow that? Huh? You want to end up like your uncle?"

"What's wrong with Raphael? He's a good guy," Nino crossed his arms and silently resigned that he'd already lost the battle now that his uncle was in the conversation. 

Sergeant Lahiffe was silent for a moment before continuing, "We all make choices in life."

"Really? Because it doesn't feel like I have a choice—"

"You  _don't_." The words echoed through the car. 

Nino opened his door and got out without a word, gathering his suitcase and backpack from the front seat. Before he could close the door, his dad piped up. "I love you, Nino."

With a sigh, Nino nodded, "I know dad. See you Friday."

With a pivot, Nino was walking towards the steps of Dupont, only to freeze in sheer horror as his dad squealed the siren. " _You've got to say 'I love you' back._ '"

His dad had employed the use of his megaphone.

Everyone was staring at him now. Nino turned and gestured in anger with his arms. "Dad! Are you serious?"

" _I want to hear it_ —"

"You want to hear it—"

"' _I love you dad_ '—"

"You're dropping me off at a school—"

" _'I love you dad'_ —"

"Look at this place—"

" _'Dad— I love you.'_ "

Silence resounded in the plaza as all the students watched, waiting for the next move. Sighing, Nino held back the urge to roll his eyes. " _Dad_ , I. Love. You."

Sgt. Lahiffe grinned. " _That's a copy. Tie your shoes please._ "

Nino shook his head and bolted up the stairs as students giggled from their spots on the steps.  _He really just doesn't get what it's like to be young, does he?_

The rest of the day was a blur as the boy bounced from class to class with an ever increasing stack of homework and thick books to read. It was no surprise that in the haste, Nino had fallen behind, running a solid five minutes late for his science class. Normally this wouldn't have been an issue, but the class was watching a movie so when he walked through the door, every eye turned on him while he looked haggard and out of breath.  _Maybe if I go quick, Ms. Mende_ —

"Mr. Lahiffe, moving in the dark. You're late.  _Again_." Nino sucked in a sharp breath as Ms. Mendeleiev paused the movie to berate him while his classmates giggled. 

Standing up from his crouched position, Nino straightened his shoulders, " _Einstein_ said time is relevant, right? Maybe I'm not late, maybe.. You guys are early."

A girl in the back with dark hair and red tipped streaks laughed in an otherwise silent classroom before piping up, "Sorry, it's just,  _so_ quiet."

Nino nodded.

"Would you like to keep standing there? Or.." Ms. Mendeleiev called, holding the remote in her hand with a scowl. "Do you want to sit down."

Nino made his way to an open seat next to the girl who had laughed earlier. 

After a minute of settling in, the girl leaned over to whisper, " _I liked your joke._ "

"Hm? Really?" Nino perked up.

"It wasn't funny," The girl shook her head. "It's.. Why I laughed. But it was smart. So I liked it."

"I don't, uh, I don't think I've seen you—"

" _Shh_ —" Ms. Mendeleiev hissed while walking down their aisle, sending a chilling glare towards the tardy boy. 

The two settled down and began listening to the lady on the video talk about parallel dimensions.

* * *

 

"A  _zero_?" Nino tried his best to sound disappointed. "A few more of those and you'd probably have to kick me out of here, huh?"

Madame Bustier sat at her desk tapping her grading pen with a disapproving look written on her face.

"Maybe I'm just not right for this school," Nino continued while shrugging his shoulders and adopting a look of defeat on his face. 

"If a person wearing a  _blindfold_ picked the answers at random on a true or false quiz, do you know what score they would get?" 

The boy pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and began to look this teacher over, wondering if he could play the stupid card or if it was too late.

"50%?" He offered. 

"That's right!" Madame Bustier smirked

"Wait—"

"The only way to get all the answers wrong is to know what answers are right." She leaned forward uncapping her red pen and added a '1' and a '0' to his test making it a resounding 100%. Her face looked disappointed. "You're trying to quit."

Nino rolled his eyes.

"And I'm not gonna let you. I'm assigning you a personal essay, not about english, but about you. And what kind of person  _you_ want to be."

Nino had sat in his room with his teacher's words ringing around his head. What did she even mean by ' _the person you want to be_ '? All he knew was that the person he wanted to be was a person not at Dupont Prep. Couldn't these teachers just let him live his dreams?

With his thoughts drifting, Nino's ears couldn't help but pick up the sound of the pigeons and subway down below. His feet had carried him out of his meeting to a concrete jungle he'd walked many times. The grinding of the metal was alluring and set the boy's mind to one track only. No stops. No alternate routes. Grabbing his backpack, he rushed onto the streets of Paris, bolting as fast as his feet could take him. In no time, he found himself in one of the more artsy districts staring up at an ornate apartment building. Sneaking around to the back, the boy began to climb rusted fire escapes until he'd found himself on the balcony of a very familiar home. Slipping out his phone, he snapped a picture through the window throwing a few emojis with a "I'm watching you" text before sending. 

Inside a man on his couch opened the message, smirking as Nino began screaming from the other side of the window pane, "Uncle Raph! Hey! Were you scared?"

The boy ground his face into the glass making silly expressions as he did. His uncle chuckled. 

* * *

 

"What's up with school?" Uncle Raph asked while browning a pan of meat on the stove. 

Nino was across the room messing with his uncle's punching bags.

"Going  _great._ Got  _tons_ of friends," Nino's words were labored with every punch he threw. 

"You can't tell me it's all that bad there," Raph smirked. "Smart girls is where it's at. Place must be full of them."

Nino chuckled along with him, "No, no. There's no one."

"Oof, I can't handle a nephew of mine on the streets with no game—"

"Hey, I got game. It's just, there's this new girl actually. She's kinda into me," Nino dropped onto the sofa tucking his hands behind his head. "You know how it is."

Raph smirked knowingly while bringing over two plates of tacos. "What's her name?"

Nino went wide-eyed. He hadn't thought that far. "You know, we, this is, we layin' down the ground work right now."

Raph let out a hearty laugh, "You know about the shoulder touch?"

"Psh, of course I do! ..But uh, tell me anyways." Nino peaked over his plate as he began diving in to his food.

"Tomorrow? Find that girl. You walk up to her and be like," Raph put his hand on Nino's shoulder. " _Hey_."

"Psh, you serious Uncle Raphie?" He pushed his arm off. 

"I'm telling you, man! It's science."

Nino shook his head. "So walk up to her and be like— ' _Hey_ '—"

"No, no, no, no, no, no. Like, ' _Hey_ '." He gave Nino a look. 

" _Hey_ —"

The two went back and forth trying to successfully do the shoulder touch. After several failed attempts, Raphael laughed.

"Are you sure you're my nephew, man?" Nino's phone buzzed. "Is that her?"

Pulling out his cell, Nino noticed his lock screen lit up with a message from his dad. "Er, no. I should probably go. I still got a paper to do tonight."

Raphael noticed Nino's shift to a more intense tone. Looking at one of the sketchbooks peeking out of Nino's backpack, he pulled the design out. " _Yo_ , have you been holding out on me? You throw these up yet?"

"No, nah man. You know my dad. I  _can't_."

Raph rolled his eyes, "Come on, man. I got a spot you ain't gone believe."

Standing up to grab his coat, Nino watched his uncle before throwing his hands up. "I can't, I can't—"

* * *

 

"I'm going to get in so much trouble," Nino mused aloud as he ran the tracks of the subway with his uncle leading the way. 

"Hey man, tell them your art teacher made you."

The two walked the subway tracks, watches synched to know how long they had before the next car came barreling down the very tight tunnel. 

As they turned into an abandoned alcove, Nino was impressed, "Hey how did you know about this place?"

"I did an engineering job down here," Raph called before vaulting himself up the iron black gate, climbing over it with ease. 

Nino took a deep breath before running towards it himself only to barely cling onto the metal grates. Raphael watched with petty amusement as the boy climbed the barrier at an agonizingly slow pace. Finally dropping over the side in a huff, his uncle shook his head. Standing back up, Nino flashed a proud smile, "Wassup."

With a chuckle, Raphael began to walk down further, "Yeah, man, I knew we were related."

Flipping a switch on the wall, the lights in the abandoned tunnel flickered on. 

"Woah."

Nino walked around remarking in the giant forgotten space, tiles untouched by time. 

"There's a lot of history on these walls," His uncle's voice would have read cryptic to anyone who didn't know him. 

"This is  _so_ fresh." Nino unearthed his spray cans while his uncle began playing some music.

The boy worked away at the fresh canvas covering it in purples and pinks, highlighting in neon greens. It was the biggest canvas he'd ever been privileged enough to work on. After he'd finished, he sat back down looking over his work with his uncle.

"Is it too crazy?" The painting was an outline of himself covering a giant scrawl of 'no expectations'. 

"Nah. You know me and your dad used to do this back in the day."

"You lyin'," Nino shook his head in disbelief.

"It's true. Then he took on the cop thing... And, I don't know. He's a good guy, just.. You know what I'm sayin'." 

The two sat in the sound of the subway for a moment, thinking. The buzzing of Raphael's phone made both of them jump.

"Alright man, I gotta roll," His uncle called after checking the message. 

Nino bent down to begin packing his stuff up. A glint of metal in the grime caught his eye where he saw a single silver ring sitting alone. Slipping it in his pocket, the two made their way back towards where they came from. 

* * *

 

That night, Nino was sitting at his desk looking over the report he had to write. His roommate was asleep in bed and the room was dim, driving the boy to nothing short of madness. He just didn't feel inspired. Reaching into his backpack, he slipped the ring out he'd found earlier. Walking to the bathroom, he began to wash the grime away before slipping it onto his hand. A pulsing feeling began as a flash of black flew out of the ring and into Nino's face. 

"Hey, watch it!" A growling voice barked out.

Nino screeched, jumping backwards, losing his footing and slipping onto the cold hard concrete. Sitting back up, Nino rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't going crazy. 

A small black cat floated in front of him, searching the room for something. 

"So this is my new place, huh? You wouldn't happen to have any camembert on you now, would you?" The thing's voice was whiny and demanding all at once. 

"Woah, are you like a genie?"

"Hah. Hardly. I'm a kwami, an ancient and powerful being."

And with that, Nino had been launched into a world of magic he'd never been prepared for. After about an hour of Plagg explaining who he was and the curse that Nino had invoked by putting on the ring, he still wasn't sure if he was tripping on something. It was only the next day at school when Nino began to noticed his quirky new abilities blooming. 

He felt red hot as if someone had plunged a 1000 degree knife into his skull. His hearing was amplified and his blood rate was pumping fast than ever before. He felt like running a marathon and exploding all at the same time. The new sensations had him tweaking so it was no surprise when he obliviously ran smack dab into the girl from yesterday.

"Woah, are you okay?" The girl noticed the sweat beads gathering at the boy's head. "Why are you so sweaty?"

Nino tried wiping them away, only to have them come back with a vengeance in two seconds flat. "It's a puberty thing."

The words were out before Nino could even think. His eyes shot open wide. "I don't know why I said that. I'm not going through puberty. I  _did_ but, I'm, done. I'm a  _man_."

He lowered his voice on the last sentence, hoping that maybe he could weasel his way out of this awkward conversation. When the girl said nothing, he tried again. "So you're like, new here. Right? We got that in common."

The girl was staring him down intensely, "Yeah, that's one thing..."

"Cool. Yeah." Nino shrugged, a new thought blossoming. "I'm Nino."

"I'm Alya—Alanda." Her face fell short.

"Wait. Your name is Alanda?"

"Yes. It's African. I'm South African. No accent though, because I was raised, here—" The girl was babbling but Nino didn't notice. 

 _Do the shoulder touch now before she walks away_. The mantra was on repeat in his head as she prattled on. It was as if a hidden force was pulling his arm for him.  _Why is this so scary? Am I doing this in slow motion, or does it just feel that way?_

"—I'm kidding. It's Alana. With no 'd', otherwise that'd be crazy." The girl was cut short by Nino placing his hand on her shoulder and looking her dead in the eyes. 

"Hey."

She looked at his hand before glancing back up. "Uh, okay, then. Uh, uhh, I'll see you around."

Nino's eyes popped open as he reentered Earth's atmosphere. "O-Oh. See you. Around."

But his hand didn't move. He tried pulling it back but somehow his ring knotted in her hair. Yanking, the girl yelped. 

"Oh crap," He breathed. 

"Hey, can you let go? Please?" She yelped again as he tried pulling his hand back. 

"I-I can't—"

"Ow, ow, calm down— It's fine just—"

"Woah—"

The two were struggling before she came crashing towards him. 

"Okay I have a plan, I'm going to pull really hard—"

"Nino, that's a terrible plan—"

"Okay, one—"

"Nino, don't do this. All you have to do—"

"Two—"

"Three—" The girl moved before he could and flipped him over landing on top of him. 

In a matter of minutes, they were sat in the infirmary room with the nurse cutting Nino loose from the girl's hair. 

"Nice to meet you?" Nino tried once they were free.

Alana was staring at her new reflection in the mirror, heart dropping at the now lopsided layers of her hair. 

"Sure," She deadpanned. "Total pleasure."

* * *

 

On his way back to his dorm, Nino sighed while Plagg floated next to him. 

"Listen kid, it's a small price to pay for infinite strength and abilities."

"I didn't ask for this." Nino began.

"No, but you didn't exactly say no either. Listen, we're a team you and I. We have an irreversible bond—"

Plagg zoomed to hide in Nino's collar. 

"Hey, Lahiffe. I know you snuck out last night." The school guard had crossed his arms from his place down the hallway. 

" _Play dumb_ ," Plagg whispered from his hiding spot. 

"Who's Lahiffe?" Nino asked innocently.

" _Not that dumb, kid_ ," Plagg hissed. 

As the guard's face twisted in confusion, Nino made the executive decision to  _book it_ down the hallway. The guard called after for him to stop but the boy kept running, dodging down corridors and weaving between students. Slipping into an open room, Nino took a breath. 

" _Nice going kid, now he'll never find you_." Plagg all but hissed. 

Nino finally took a moment to look around before realizing that he had somehow walked into the perfect trap— The security guard's office. "N _O_ —"

Luck was not on his side today. Tripping forward while looking for a hiding spot, Nino accidentally hit the keyboard on the guard's laptop which began blaring Ladybug's Christmas album. 

"Kid, I know you're in there," The guard was banging on his door. 

"No, why is this happening to me?" Nino lurched forward with too much power, knocking over the papers on the desk and a very unsteady bookshelf began to tumble.  Trying to catch himself, the boy catapulted onto a rolling chair which slammed into the open window pane, launching Nino to the outside. Luckily, cat like reflexes kicked in in time for himself to grip the bricks of the building, holding himself up with claws that seemed to sprout from the tips of his fingers. Shuffling on the ledge, the boy began scaling across the building towards his dorm, doing everything in his power not to freak out. While struggling across, Alana was walking in the courtyard below and looked up to see him as he barreled through his window. 

"Ok _ay_ ," She bemused in sheer shock. 

"My room!" Nino called in bliss. Tumbling in, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Until his favorite Ladybug comic book fell on him as if some cosmic force beckoned him to read. He began scanning over the page taking in a similar scenario that Ladybug went through when she first got her powers.

"Are you getting it now kid? These powers you have? They're with you for good. Just like Ladybug's. I can help enhance them, but this curse is yours now." Plagg called in a delighted tone from across the room. 

"Wait, wait, wait. How can there be two Ladybugs? I'm not a Ladybug— Or am I?" Nino looked over his black kwami. 

He snorted. "Hardly. But you are something else. Your power comes from destruction whereas Ladybug's power comes from creation. In no uncertain terms, hers is a gift whereas yours is more- well, cursed. The wielders before you all were variations of an ancient power. The power of the black cat— me. But years ago, before Ladybug's time, the last wielder used it for evil. That's why I've been all alone in that tunnel for all these years. Whoever had possession of the ring last wanted it to be forgotten for forever. He thought nobody would be stupid enough to go trailing into abandoned subway tunnels. And yet there you were. Lucky you, I guess."

"No, no, this can't be happening—"

"Kid—"

"There's gotta be a way out—"

Plagg sighed as he watched his new owner freak out. He'd seen this a thousand times before. It was the natural course of his masters and no speech had yet been able to calm them down. So when Nino turned to run out the door, Plagg didn't stop him. He simply found his spot riding along with him in his collar. 

Nino's feet pounded along the concrete as he began calling his uncle only to reach voicemail countless times. The boy's legs felt energized and carried him the whole way without any issues.  _This isn't possible, this is just.. Puberty, yeah. I'm a normal kid_ —

Nino ran directly in front of a cab driving full speed which smacked him into the windshield before sending him flying into the road. Everyone in the street stopped to stare as the boy came jerking down mid flight only to land gracefully on his feet. The onlookers began to cheer as Nino stood up, realizing what he'd just done. 

Nino continued his journey once he'd gotten his breath back and found himself winding his way back to the abandoned subway station, in hopes to find answers. 

"OK, you're being crazy, Nino." Plagg rolled his eyes from his hiding spot while listening to his master prattle on. "Being crazy."

Upon finding the abandoned track once again a weird pounding noise began to drill into Nino's head. Following the loud metallic sounds, the boy found a hidden service shaft. With a gulp, he began to descend. 

"I'm just saying kid, situations like this never end up going well..." The kwamis voice floated as Nino fought to keep his vision from blurring. Whatever this noise was, it was messing with his head like crazy.

Finding himself in a boarded up control room, the boy felt the urge to move right before a giant boulder came barreling through the glass panes. 

"Nora, I cannot let you open up a portal to another dimension." Ladybug was perched on a pile of discarded metals in a giant room pulsating with energy. "Paris is  _not_ zoned for that."

"Ladybug," Nino mouthed the words, feeling Plagg perk up from his spot as well.

"It's not up to me," The voice cut through the air. 

"Is that Anansi?" Nino's voice squeked. She'd tried taken over Paris countless times only to be defeated by Ladybug without fail. 

"Why won't you  _quit_ ," Anansi's voice scathed while throwing a large boulder towards Ladybug's spot.

With a quick flick of her yo-yo, she catapulted across the mini arena, perching near some low hanging beams, "Um, probably because I enjoy Paris when it's  _not_ being sucked into a black hole?"

"Okay, I think I'm gonna go now," Nino mused quietly, shuffling towards the pipe he'd just descended from. It was clear that whatever was happening down here was none of his business. However as he was turned to leave, Anansi catapulted one of the loose beams toward Ladybug, narrowly missing her, sending it towards Nino's hiding spot. The beam slammed against the ladder knocking it loose sending it plummeting several stories below into the darkness of newly formed crater. Acting on his reflexes, Nino held on to the end of the beam for dear life as the rest of the flooring beneath him gave way. Before long he found himself being launched into the arena he'd been trying to steer clear of as Anansi and Ladybug battled it out, the beam now acting as a pendulum as it swung from one side of the arena to the other. Now in plain sight, Nino jumped from his death swing ducking towards a doorway to hide in only to find himself face to face with a machine that screamed 'doomsday'.

This room was much brighter and was made from expensive paneling that reminded the boy all too much of a futuristic hospital. Two tractor beams were hovering in mid air facing one another. A large panel of windows sat above them where Nino could make out a much more updated control booth full of preoccupied scientists. 

With a flash, Anansi barreled through the hole pushing Nino off the narrow ledge himself plummeting both of them downwards into the bowl of the room where giant metal scraps promised instant death. Ladybug whom had swung in at that very moment caught Nino before he'd become tomorrow evening's flambé. Swinging up to set him down on a worker's scaffolding, she looked him over.

"You know your shoe is untied," Her smile was kind.

Nino nodded. "Uh, huh."

"I don't really have to worry about that because this is sort of a bodysuit." The duo began to buzz and Plagg popped out from his hiding place. Ladybug sucked in a breath. "I thought I was the only one. You're like me." 

"I don't want to be," Nino stumbled over the words as Ladybug's face fell.

"I don't think you have a choice, kiddo. I'm sure there's a lot going through your mind. I can help you. If you stick around. I can show you the ropes. If you'd like."

"Yeah," Nino breathed.

"Okay," The machines behind them began to glow out of nowhere. "Just give me a minute to destroy these big machines real quick so the space time continuum doesn't fall apart."

Ladybug stood up poised to jump, turning to look back at the kid one last time before launching into action. Nino couldn't describe it but there was a sense of uncertainty that ran between the two in that moment. Nino watched in awe as she swung from pipe to pipe, launching herself upwards using her strength in every move. 

 _How does she do that_ , he pondered.

Ladybug was already crawling the ceiling, fiddling with a control panel hidden by the tiles. Nino watched as she pulled out a USB drive, poised to insert it in when a dark blue masked figure tackled her out of the air. This person was masked like her but had a much darker aura pulsating around them. With every countermove by Ladybug, the intruder would begin jabbing in another weak spot as if they had a manual to all her weaknesses. The two battled for what seemed like an eternity with Ladybug taking the brunt of the hits. Everything in Nino wanted to help, to fight back, but his fear paralyzed him to the spot, only allowing him to watch in absolute horror as his only hope was slowly defeated. Just when Ladybug seemed to be getting the upper hand, Anansi took her by surprise from behind, pinning her to the ground. Nino sucked in a breath and a voice filled the large room.

"Do-do-do, do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do," The voice was humming Ladybug's theme song.

"Miraculous. Do you like my new toy?" The feminine voice curled around each syllable. A large bay of windows from above the machine lit up as whoever was speaking stood to look over the room. "It cost me a fortune. But hey, you can't take it with you, right? Since you came all this way, you should watch the test. It's one hell of a freakin' lightshow, Ladybug, let me tell you. You're gonna love this."

Ladybug's screams ripped through the room as she pleaded beneath Anansi grip, "No, no! Please, you can't do this, Greyling— It'll kill us all!"

The machine began to whir louder as it began spinning faster and faster, finally emitting a bright light bouncing back and forth between the two machines as a solid beam of light appeared. Nino stumbled back from the sheer power of the energy as the room began to shake. 

From up in the control room, one of the working scientists was reading off a chart. "M'am we have five separate dimensions opening up here."

Ladybug was once again struggling against Anansi's strength and turned to watch as a ceiling panel became loose.

"Nora, what's your score on head trauma?" 

The spiderling looked on with confusion as the panel dropped before barrelling into her head, knocking her unconscious. 

Ladybug jumped to her feet, swinging back into action. "I tried to warn you."

After a moment Anansi was back up and trapped Ladybug within her grasp again. It was clear that Ladybug was becoming exhausted and was not dodging attacks as well anymore. With a dive, Anansi plunged Ladybug into the beam and the room began to shake.

" _Anansi_ , get her  _OUT_ of there," Greyling screeched, panicking.

Before anyone could move, the room expanded, machine parts shattering everywhere with the heat of the explosion sending Nino flying across the room. When the dust settled, he saw Ladybug lying in a pile of rubble. She looked like she was hurt. Sliding down to kneel next to her, he began to look her over.

"Hey are you okay?"

She was not. "Yeah, fine, never better. Just resting."

"Can you get up?" Nino's words dripped in worry.

"Of course. I always get up." A body wracking cough surged through her. "The coughing's probably not a good sign."

A shuffling from above sounded as Greyling and her thugs figured out where they had gone to.

"Listen, we don't have much time, kid. We gotta team up here." She held up her hand, offering the USB drive from earlier. "This override key is the  _only_ way to stop this collider. Use this key. Push the button. Blow it up."

Ladybug took a moment to take in a raggedy breath. It's becoming clear to Nino that she's in serious bad shape. 

"You  _need_ to hide your face. You don't tell  _anyone_ who you are. Understand? No one can know, she's got everyone in her pockets.  _If_ she turns on the machine again, everything you know  _will_ disappear. Your family, your loved ones,  _everyone_. Everyone, kid.  Promise me you'll do this."

Nino took the drive in his hands and began nodding, "I promise."

Ladybug reached up and took her earrings out, sliding them into Nino's pocket. He wasn't sure what that meant but he had a feeling it was something final. 

"Good. Go destroy the collider. I'll come and find you. Everything's going to be okay."

Nino began to wind his way through the debris and found an extremely large mountain. The top was so far up. But Ladybug needed him to do this. He  _would_ do this. 

"Nova, we're done with the tests. Get the colliders ready to go again. For real this time." Greyling was approaching the debris sight. 

Nino ducked into the shadows to watch as the scientist shook her head before retreating. 

Greyling sighed. "Run faster. These guys are weak." She turned to Ladybug who was still trapped under the rubble. "I'd say it's nice to see you again, Ladybug. But it's not."

"Greyling, my favorite psychopath. How's business?" Her coughs were becoming more violent. 

"Booming. Ha!" Greyling knelt over her, pulling her mask off to reveal the face of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, prolific girlfriend of supermodel Adrien Agreste. Nino sucked in a breath. 

"Come on, don't you know that's a no-no?" When Greyling didn't respond, Marinette turned to pleading. "Please. This might open a black hole under Paris. It can't be worth the risk."

"It's not always about the money, Ladybug." The supervillain's voice was tight. 

The masked figure from earlier appeared from the shadows once again, running at the now defenseless Marinette.

"Wait!" She shrieked. "Don't you want to know what I saw in there?"

Greyling held up a hand, "Toska, stop."

"I know what you're trying to do, Lila. It won't work. They're already gone. You can't bring them back."

Greyling's eyes flashed something entirely new and dangerous. With a quick swipe, Greyling hits the limp girl with a striking blow to the head using her cane. 

It takes everything in Nino not to scream out, to run after them and try to stop this, but it's too late. The way the girl's head falls limp is telling enough. 

"Get rid of the body." Greyling's words had no remorse. 

As Toska neared the two, Nino shifted resulting in debris falling from above. 

Greyling prickled at the noise. "What was that?"

She scanned the room and when it was quiet, she turned back to Marinette. "Where did her earrings go?"

Nino used the distraction to launch himself towards the exit hoping he'd have enough time, but as the group inspected Ladybug's body, they were aware that she'd had help down here.

When they finally saw Nino's shadowy figure retreating up the shaft he'd come from earlier, Greyling turned in one swift motion to her partner. "Kill him."

Nino was running as fast as he could, turning and twisting through the subway corridors in hopes he'd find a place to hide. But Toska was too close on his trail for Nino to grasp the upperhand. But as Nino is nearing the public tunnel he'd entered earlier, he hears the chime of bells in the form of subway wheels grinding against the metal of the track. Hopping up the platform, the train just barely misses him, trapping Toska in the shadows, unable to follow as Nino books it to the surface world. 

Even though the train bought him some time, Nino keeps running unsure if the villain was hot on his tracks. When the sound of a motorbike screeches behind him, Nino ducks into an alley way that he'd used to get home many times before. Rounding the corner to the other side of the street, Nino finds his stoop and jumps into his open bedroom window, sprawling across the floor gazing up at a bed that's been lonely for too long. 

"Police! Put your hands up," Someone kicks in the door and Nino scrambles backwards into his dresser, fear pumping through his veins. But it's just his dad. "Nino? Why aren't you at school?"

The mundane question takes Nino off guard as he bursts into tears, embracing his father closely. 

Sgt. Lahiffe, while confused, realizes his son needs him and wraps his arms around him. "Whoa, whoa, it's okay, Nino. What's going on?"

When his mother burst through the door, Nino looks up. "Can I sleep here tonight?"

His father is first with the disapproving comments, "Nino, you made a commitment to that school—"

"Jensen, he's upset." Marcie's voice snap him back to reality.

"Of course you can stay, Nino."

The boy sits on his bed gingerly before looking up at his parents, tears still streaming down his face. "Dad? Do you really hate Ladybug?"

The question catches the Sergeant off hand. 

"Yeah? I mean with a vigilante—" He huffs as Marcie smacks him. "What? He asked me. Baby, you know how I feel about Ladybug. C'mon..."

The sarge leaves and Marcie sits down with Nino on his bed, wrapping her arm around him. "I know he doesn't show it very well, but he loves you very much, you know."

"Mom, do you ever think about moving out of Paris?"

The question was once again out of the blue, but she shook her head. "No. Our family doesn't run from anything, Nino."

"Yeah. I was afraid you'd say that."

Marcie kissed Nino on the forehead before turning the light out.

Later when Nino was alone, Plagg floated out to comfort him. An interaction Nino didn't know the little monster had in him. "It's gonna be alright kid. You'll see. It'll all work out, it always does."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for bearing with me folks. We got into the thick of it pretty fast. The next chapter should be up soon so stay tuned! 
> 
> I'd also really love to hear any thoughts or ideas on who you'll be seeing next. 
> 
> Also as you can see, this universe we're starting in is very different than the universe we're used to. Don't you worry, we'll be seeing them all by the end of this. Until next time, leave me a comment here or don't be shy and find me over on tumblr (adifferentshadeofgrey.tumblr.com)
> 
> cheers  
> xx  
> cj


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